State lawmakers question Utah concealed carry fee hike

Following a campaign by gun rights groups, Utah lawmakers want answers on how state officials bumped up permit costs this month without first going through them.

The Utah Bureau of Criminal Identification increased the cost of an initial concealed firearm permit for residents from $37 to $57, adding a $20 fee to process fingerprint through a state system. Lawmakers last week contend the regulatory agency may have gone too far.

“What we can’t allow is unilateral decisions by administrative action in lieu of appropriate action,” said state Rep. Brian Greene, R-Pleasant Grove.

BCI argues the fee change was authorized by a 2015 law establishing a $20 fee to process background check fingerprint cards for submission to the FBI’s Rap Back System on school employees. BCI officials say applying the extra fee for gun permits was simply missed for the past two years, a correction the agency made moving forward.

The base $25 firearm permit application fee ($35 for non-residents) and $12 FBI background check fee remain were unchanged, with the only addition being the $20 fee to scan and process fingerprints through a state database.

Driven largely by non-resident applications in a state with a population of just over 3 million, the number of active concealed carry permits in the state topped a record 633,000 last year.

A 2015 survey by the Crime Prevention Research Center found that licensing fees vary widely across the nation from a low of $10 in South Dakota to over $150 in Illinois, putting Utah’s fee on the low-end of the spectrum. The report also found that each $10 increase in fees reduces the percentage of adults with permits by about half a percentage point.

Second Amendment supporters contend that if a fee increase was justified, it should be run through the Utah Legislature first.

“There have been times in the past when CFP fees were being used to fund government programs unrelated to the issuance of these permits,” said the National Rifle Association’s Institute for Legislative Action in a statement issued earlier this month. “To ensure that won’t happen again, the appropriate process for proposed fee increases is to be run through the legislative process where bright lights can be shined on the data and information can be provided by state agencies.”

Still cheaper than NM. Bottom line is that fees should not be used as a way of denying people their rights. NYC, for example.

Utah should end its restrictions on open carry, i.e., an openly carried gun must have an empty chamber (per Open Carry org)

Omer woodruff

How much do criminals with guns pay ?

Logan Waltz

Define “criminal” I am a well to do pacifist that carries a firearm concealed without a permit. I will do most anything to not have to shoot somebody, but I don’t think I owe the government time and money to protect people. That said, I don’t have a gun to protect myself.

Omer woodruff

Define , criminal . Basically one that goes against human animal made laws written down on a piece of paper to pretend you are the king of the jungle and like to say look at me without the knowledge that some don’t give a rats ass what the piece of paper says ! The reality is the human is an animal on the planet earth that enjoys power and privalige they pretend they have . And they don’t want competition , or at other human animal proving them wrong . They want you to not have any power so they can beat on their chest and say look at me ! So therefore you are a disarmed monkey basically while the politicians hold their stick and try to beat their will into others . A criminal is anyone that thinks outside of the plan . And creates problems for the elected ones that will create any excuse why the rain won’t stop at thy will ! The politicians job is to hang curtains . To shield your eyes from reality ! God , is a man made scape goat . That every politician is trained to use when the world is being flooded , or burned . Most human animals are lazy . And prefer a quick answer . Like God will stop the rain ! If your smart . You can see the rain actually was the painter of the planet earth . And we males are simply apes with a stick trying to ward off evil . Just like the cave man dancers of the Stone Age . We just learned to make tools . That go bang ! But , we are still little more than animals . With a fairy tale book and magical beings . No honestly educated human animal . Would believe in . A true president would see through all of the mist and clouds and fairy tale Gods . I think he does . But a real challenge awaits . And no God is going to fix the deep bucket , that is already running over . No minister, no pope, no president . Will ever control the true power . Of the planet earth . We even look like ants from the 10th floor .

invictus maneo

“State lawmakers question Utah concealed carry fee hike”

Just a revenue generator…

Omer woodruff

Many states today live off the tourist dollars and sales tax . I just don’t spend my tourist dollars with such places . I wonder what would happen if everyone just did not renew their permit ? And for me if something goes up . I just don’t buy something else . So how does raising the price of one thing make the government more money when I don’t buy other things to make up for the loss ? I use to put 60,000 miles on a car . Since my taxes went up . Now I have 107,000 miles on my car . And so are many other people . And today people are having less kids do to rising cost . So what ever will the government do next thinking it will generate more revenue when people just spend less and less and less ?

jhwarner1

Two words – “Constitutional Carry”

Logan Waltz

I live in Utah and Gary Herbert, our governor, is a centrist. I voted against him in the recent election. We need to get a hard right governor to fix the few problems we have. Honestly, I do believe a libertarian is what Utah needs right now. Maybe he was good before, but not for right now. This is why I carry concealed without a permit. Shall not be infringed and this guy doesn’t believe in the constitution.